This is the fifth survivor story for Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Naeve Health Care Foundation’s newest fund-raiser, “The beat goes on.” The fund-raiser is a $327,000 effort to raise money for crucial, cutting-edge cardiac care equipment for area first responders and the medical center’s ambulance services, cardiology and cardiac rehab departments.

Typically heart disease shows itself with symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, even pain, numbness and weakness, but for Allan Stoa, a pastor at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, heart disease was sneakier.

Stoa, who doctors with James Ott, M.D., a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, was on blood pressure medication when a routine check-up showed he had an elevated heart enzyme. Ott recommended a stress test in Albert Lea’s cardiology department. While the test went well, it confirmed the elevated enzyme level and Stoa was sent to Rochester for further testing.

In Rochester providers found three severely blocked arteries. One week later, Stoa, 74, had open heart surgery.

“It’s a sneaky thing, heart disease,” he says. “No symptoms and then you’re told you have three severely blocked arteries.”

Heart disease is a broad term used to describe a range of diseases that affect your heart, according to mayoclinic.com. The term “heart disease” is often used interchangeably with “cardiovascular disease.” Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart attack, chest pain (angina) or stroke. Other heart conditions, such as infections and conditions that affect your heart’s muscle, valves or beating rhythm, also are considered forms of heart disease.

Stoa says surgery showed one of the arteries was 100 percent blocked and the other two were close to 90 percent blocked. He suffered no heart damage.

“I have absolutely nothing but good to say about the staff I worked with here in Albert Lea and in Rochester,” he says. “While my family and I were still trying to understand how this happened, they took fantastic care of me.”

While Stoa isn’t sure what caused his heart disease, he does say his weight had been increasing over the years.

“My problem always was I didn’t have time for exercise; I wasn’t interested in it,” he says. “I did a little walking, but not much. Not what I needed to do.”

After recovering from surgery, providers recommended Stoa participate in Albert Lea’s cardiac rehabilitation program.

“Cardiac rehab is just what I needed,” he says. “After the shock of my diagnosis and surgery, I was ready for something like this. I was ready to get some control back.”

Stoa is currently a patient in the second phase of cardiac rehab. “My wife and kids are still aghast I’m still doing it,” he says, “but I’ve been told, and shown, that that is what it is going to take.”

Stoa and his wife, Nancy, have also changed their diets and he says portion control is a big part of it.

Now on a small amount of medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Stoa continues follow-up care with cardiologist Sandra Birchem, D.O., Internal Medicine physician Bev Lombardi, M.D., and Ott, in Albert Lea.

“I have good doctors, a great family and a supportive congregation,” says Stoa. “In other words, I feel very blessed.”

For more information visit www.naevehealthcarefoundation.org. NHCF’s Gala supporting “The beat goes on” has been scheduled for Sept. 24 at Wedgewood Cove Golf Club.